On Jan. 11, ASA Washington staff attended a briefing of the newly-formed Agriculture Workforce Coalition (AWC). The AWC is made up of several regional and national agriculture organizations with the goal of supporting a workable immigration reform proposal for agricultural workers designed to meet the current and future needs of all agricultural employers.

While acknowledging that the group is not united on every issue, the speakers emphasized that comprehensive immigration reform is not likely to happen without agriculture, and that labor issues affect all of agriculture, not just fruits and vegetables but also livestock and nursery.

Experts believe that more than 70 percent of agricultural workers are undocumented, a rate higher than any other industry. The only legal means to hire temporary ag workers is the H-2A program, which is beset with problems. Only 4 percent of the farm labor market is comprised of H-2A visa-holders. One significant part of the AWC proposal is that applications for a new Agricultural Worker Visa Program would go through USDA, rather than through the Department of Labor (DOL), though DOL would continue to handle enforcement.

The new visa program would provide flexibility to both employees and employers by including two options: one for at-will employees, who can move from employer to employer without a contractual commitment (allowing workers to follow harvests for different crops), and one for contract employees to commit to working for an employer for a fixed period of time.

The AWC intends to expand and will be seeking additional members.